Shikamaru's Drag of a Week
by Asami01
Summary: A Shinobi's confused feelings in love;the girl of his dreams(quite literally)living as the object of his desire, without her yet knowing,as far as he knows. Should he embrace these feelings or let them go as too troublesome? He'll figure out ... or so he hopes! Disclaimer:I don't own any of the Naruto characters or anything original to the Naruto world mentioned in this fanfic.
1. The Dream

_"Ah ... what a drag."_

Shikamaru thought to himself as he lay in the shadows of a tree's branches and leaves up above. The grass he was lain down upon was lush and shimmering in the sun; it was almost dreamlike as far as he could see it. To Shikamaru, this seemed to match his mood, since from the beginning of this half week off from his duties as a Shinobi, he felt as though he was in a dreamlike state. His collective emotions as of late were giving him a funny feeling inside; one he wasn't exactly accustomed to. He felt as though he was floating on air, and somehow unattached to the world around him, but not in a totally unpleasant manner, he discerned. It was all because of her; she was making him feel this way, and as intelligent as Shikamaru knew himself to be, able to figure himself out of any troublesome situation if given the time, he couldn't figure himself out of this spot, regardless of how much time he spent dwelling on the thought.

_"What is it ... about her?"_ He wondered on with eyes closed and arms folded under his head as he lay upon his back.

_"Why can't I stop thinking about her?"_ He continued on with these questions as the day slowly dragged by.

_"Should I ... tell her ... ? No! That's dumb."_ He felt a quick surge of reluctance pass over him as he went on torturing himself.

"Why am I even going on like this?" He spoke aloud. But these feelings weren't anything of a surprise to himself, being for some time, he had simply been in denial of them, hoping they'd soon fade as a shadow does in the darkness of the night. However, it was because of a dream he had recently dreamt that made him feel a need to finally face these feelings, and maybe even embrace them if he could, somehow, understand them.

His dream a few nights prior was of himself and a few of his friends; all male ninja from his own village, the Hidden Leaf. Chouji, Naruto, Neji, and Kiba and Akamaru were all present ready to dig into the barbecue Shikamaru was footing the bill for.

"Itadakimasu!" Chouji and Naruto shouted sitting closest to each other, across from the other three.

"Thanks for this one, Shikamaru. We all owe ya one". Kiba grinned as he petted Akamaru.

"Yes, we're indeed grateful for this meal and your willingness to pay, Shikamaru. However..." Neji cut in sounding slightly annoyed.

"However, I do hope Chouji and Naruto don't plan on eating _everything_ by themselves." Neji finished as he looked on broodingly in Naruto's and Chouji's direction while they scarfed down what was in front of them. Things seemed usual, and as _per_ usual, Shikamaru could only think of how much of a drag paying for everyone was.

_"Boy, these guys sure can put it away. It's kinda scary looking at it."_ Shikamaru thought with a semi-frightened look upon his face.

Suddenly, with a change of mood in the room, everything around him began to blur. The entire restaurant, friends included, began to be engulfed in shadows, and all Shikamaru could see was the figure of a woman standing at the entrance, to his right. Who was this? She seemed familiar by her walk as she came closer to Shikamaru.

"Shikamaru ... are you coming with or not?" She asked him, once she reached his table, in a somewhat demanding tone.

"That voice..." Shikamaru noticed from the dark figure. The restaurant was once again lit as it was beforehand and things were going on as though nothing unusual had happened.

"What are _you_ doing here?" Shikamaru asked the blonde haired female, instantly recognizing her, and feeling in complete shock.

She began to walk away, toward the back of the restaurant, blatantly showing her intent to lead him off somewhere private, by the look in her eye as she briefly gazed back toward him. As his friends seemed off in their own world, Shikamaru simply got up from his seat and followed the woman, who seemingly wanted only his attention, for reasons he intended to find out.

"Hey wait!" Shikamaru yelled as he caught up with her in a back room of the restaurant with no one but the two of them around.

She halted, and seeing that she was facing opposite his direction, Shikamaru placed his hand on her shoulder to turned her toward himself, but as soon as he did so, he felt two arms embrace his body as the woman lunged forth into him, almost knocking him off balance.

"Wha-what is this? What're you doing?" He asked nervously.

"What we should have done some time ago..." The blonde haired woman said this as she gave somewhat of a giggle and looked lovingly into his eyes.

Shikamaru wiped the sweat from his forehead as he looked slightly downward to the woman holding him close to herself. He couldn't understand why this girl, this kunoichi, he knew was doing such a thing, but more importantly, why he wasn't lifting a finger to stop her. And just as suddenly as she hugged him, she moved in for a kiss, and Shikamaru, frozen by reason of confusion, or so he tried to convince himself, didn't so much as push away.

After their lips met, he began to feel more welcoming of the feeling overcoming him, which wasn't confusion as he first told himself, but desire and love.

_"This time that I've known you ... has it always been like this? Have I loved you from the start..."_ But before Shikamaru could speak her name in his thought, he had awoken in his bed, just then realizing that trying to deny what was so painfully clear could be more of a drag than accepting it. Thus, it was something he was going to have to move forward with, though many times in the past, he couldn't have imagined himself coming to terms with such a seemingly flighty and troublesome matter such as love.


	2. The Assignment

"Why are you even going on like what?" a voice sounded off beside Shikamaru as he looked up from his perspective lying flat on the ground.

The voice was that of Chouji, Shikamaru's best friend. And as expected of Chouji, he had a smile on his face, and food in hand, this time around, being a bag of chips.

"You talking to yourself now, Shikamaru?" Chouji joked around with him.

"Nah. I was just trying to determine how to resolve a personal matter." Shikamaru stated dryly as he sat up upon the grass, eyes then fixed toward the ground, still wondering what it is he could do.

Chouji took a seat near the tree they both were now under, chips still in hand.

_"Well_ _*munch munch*_ seeing that we've been friends for so long _*munch munch*_ you know you can tell me anything. So, what's bugging you?"

Shikamaru gave Chouji a look, knowing that of all people he could confide in, whatever his problem, it was Chouji. So, he began to speak.

"Well, there's this girl..."

"WAIT! I KNOW WHAT IT IS!" Chouji startled Shikamaru as he yelled.

"Wh-what? You do!?" Shikamaru was stunned, leaning backward in somewhat of a defensive position, wondering to himself if he and Chouji knew each other so well at this point, they hardly had to speak one word before they understood the other's issue.

"There's a girl ... with blonde hair..." Chouji said as he held a serious look on his face, with the tree's shadow looming over him.

"She was selling dumplings in the street on my way over here, and I totally should have bought some. That's why I kept feeling as though I was missing something. Now, what were you saying Shikamaru? About a girl or something?"

Shikamaru was at a loss for words. He gave a sigh with an unimpressed look on his face, slumping his shoulders. _"Oh boy..."._ He thought.

That was Chouji for you; thinking about food was just apart of his thing. It wasn't really a problem for Shikamaru, but sometimes, especially at this moment, it would irk him a little.

"Just listen, would you..." Shikamaru continued from before.

As some time passed, Shikamaru finished telling Chouji his entire problem.

"So, why not just tell her how you feel?" Chouji plainly asked Shikamaru.

"What do ya mean, 'just tell her'? She's not the kind of girl you 'just tell' something like that." Shikamaru said dismissing Chouji's idea.

"Well, you're the one with the over 200 IQ, right? So what do you propose?"

"I really ... dunno". Shikamaru stated as he gave a heavy sigh. "What a drag this is."

"Personally, I never really pictured you with her." Chouji abruptly added.

"Huh?" Shikamaru became curious, made clear by his confused expression on his face.

**_"_**Well, I just mean, I know she's a great girl, but I thought you'd be more interested in..."

"There you guys are! Been looking for you everywhere!" Chouji was cut off as Naruto came running over looking panicked.

"Huh? What is it, Naruto? Something wrong?" Shikamaru questioned quickly looking over in his direction.

"It's Temari! and Ino! They've gotten into a big fight!"

"What!?" Chouji and Shikamaru exclaimed simultaneously with equal concern.

"I didn't even know Temari was in the village." Chouji stated.

"Yeah, me neither." Shikamaru followed.

"She came over for some assignment." Naruto briefly explained. "But anyway, the point is, she and Ino are having a huge spat and it doesn't seem like any of us can get either one to back down."

"What's it over? The spat, that is." Shikamaru asked.

"I don't really know, but I figured you and Chouji could calm them down, since you know them so well." Naruto spoke in a hopeful manner.

"Man, Temari and Ino. Would have never guessed them to be hostile toward each other. But it's a funny coincidence since we were just talking about her, huh Shikamaru?" Chouji playfully stated.

"Huh? About who? Ino...or Temari?" Naruto wondered with a puzzled look on his face.

"Nevermind that. We need to get over to those two before things get out of hand. They can both be really stubborn and unrelenting; especially with other women." Shikamaru swiftly got back to the main issue at hand, not really wanting to divulge his love life to Naruto and geniunely wanting to stop Temari and Ino from being at each other's throat.

Naruto led both Shikamaru and Chouji to where Temari and Ino were, and as soon as they arrived, all three recognized just how much attention their little argument had attracted.

"Damn, what's this about? And why'd this have to happen now of all times. I feel uncomfortable being around her like this; I feel almost helpless seeing her stand there. But this is no time to get weak in the knees." These thoughts ran through Shikamaru's mind looking at a both Ino and Temari scream their point across to the other.

"Look, ALL I said was that you could give a little more attention to your appearance. Being a kunoichi doesn't mean you can't be feminine. It's not like I called you ugly or anything!" Ino yelled.

"And ALL I said was that you could mind your damn business a little more often. It's not like I was being untruthful. And who says I have any interest in being obsessed with my appearance like you are?" Temari answered back in rage.

"Obsessed!?"Ino scoffed."If taking care to look like an actual woman is obsessed, then I'll take it as a compliment. Meanwhile, you can go on with your unfeminine appeal repelling any and every guy in the vicinity."

"Why you!" Temari felt even angrier than before. "You're lucky I don't knock you out here and now in front of your own village, ponytail! Do NOT take me lightly!"

"You wanna try me, fan girl!? I'll kick your ass swiftly and have you begging for me to heal you right after!" Ino replied hastily and just as angrily.

Their argument continued to escalate into what would inevitably be a huge brawl between the two.

"Chouji, we gotta do something!" Shikamaru stated in panic to his friend.

"I know." He replied. "I'll take Ino, you get Temari!"

Temari and Ino both jumped backward from each other, ready to do battle, but before Temari could wield her fan, and before Ino could prep her kunai, Shikamaru shadow possessed the one, while Chouji, using his partial expansion jutsu in his arm and hand, restrained the other.

"Just what the hell are you two thinking?" Shikamaru screamed at them both.

"You girls really should calm down, and think about what you were getting ready to do. The Leaf and the Sand are allies. And we're all close friends. Do you know how this makes you look?"Chouji calmly reprimanded them.

They both looked away from each other, and from the ones restraining them, pouting, but still feeling embarrassed by their own behavior. Neither realized until that moment that the commotion they caused attracted such a huge crowd, and soon they, too, realized it attracted the attention of even the Hokage.

"Ino. Temari. You two are to report to the Hokage, immediately. You can guess what about." Kakashi Hatake announced, having made an appearance out of the crowd of people, without anyone noticing until just then.

_"Great. I'm going to be in big trouble with Dad."_ Ino panicked at heart.

_"Lord Gaara will not be happy to hear about this."_ Temari thought, becoming nervous.

"Oh. Shikamaru. You're here?" Kakashi spoke, seemingly surprised.

"Yeah, what about it? Chouji and I are here keeping these two from killing each other, as you can see."

"Good work on that. But, The Fifth has summoned you as well, conveniently enough."

"Huh? What for? And how is that convenient?" He asked, still holding his shadow possession over Temari.

"I meant convenient for me. Now, I don't have to run around looking for you." Kakashi stated as he smile, clearly feeling self-satisfied, at Shikamaru's expense. "As for why you were also called; I guess you'll have to head over there to find out."

_"And here, I thought it was my half week off. But I guess that's asking too much. What a drag." _Shikamaru thought to himself.

"Okay people. Nothing to see here. Let's clear the street for passersby." Kakashi began waving civilians off, seeing that the matter had been partially settled.

"You heard him. Clear the street. Go back to your business, everyone." Naruto said choosing to help out.

After Chouji and Shikamaru released Ino and Temari, and the crowd began to disperse with Kakashi and Naruto helping to that end, Ino, Shikamaru, and Temari made their way to the Hokage's office, but not before Chouji privately hinted to Shikamaru to use this small opportunity to speak his feelings. To that Shikamaru declined, feeling now would be the worst time to reveal what's been on his mind.

Though two of them had an idea why they were being summoned, having caused a huge stir in the village, likely having been reported by some bystander or Shinobi on watch, Shikamaru had no clue as to why he was being summoned as well while on break, but nevertheless, showed no lack in his apathy toward the matter.

_*knock knock knock*_ Temari and In knocked, hesitant to enter at all.

"Come in." Tsunade spoke, as she sat in her seat, fully ready to give both Ino and Temari a stern talking to.

All three, Shikamaru Temari and Ino, stood before the Hokage.

"Do you three know why you were summoned here?" She asked.

"Yes, I believe so, milady. It's because of the commotion Temari and I caused, but that wasn't my fault." Ino replied.

"I so hope you aren't implying it was mine." Temari said immediately defending herself, looking at Ino out of the side of her eye.

"That's not what I was saying." Ino spoke in defense of her own words.

"Great, because it was definitely your fault. But I do apologize for that."

"What!? Why you..." Ino began to get irritated.

"That's enough!" Tsunade halted the two as they began to start up again and as Shikamaru could only stand watching, with a pained looked on his face.

"It's no secret that you two aren't the best of friends. But that is NO EXCUSE for how you've both behaved! I should not be receiving reports of you two disturbing the public with your petty disagreements."

"You, Ino, are a Leaf Kunoichi, and one who has trained in medical ninjutsu under my direct supervision. You, of all people, should know my lack of patience for such behavior, and should also know this is not how you treat someone of an ally village. She's the Kazekage's sibling for goodness sake!"

As Temari gave a smug look of approval, Tsunade turned in on her.

"And you, Temari, being not only a sibling of the Kazekage, but of High Rank within the political dealings of the Sand Village and its affairs with the Leaf should know far better than to have such a hostile petty dispute with a Leaf Shinobi within the walls of the Leaf Village. Totally unacceptable."

"I'm disappointed in you both!" Tsunade said not holding back her rage toward them. "You showed absolutely no self-restraint!"

"And you Shikamaru!"

_"Great, what the hell did I do now? I was the one trying to stop these two. Oh boy..." _Shikamaru thought preparing for the worst.

"As of this moment, you are to keep an eye on these two and their interactions between each other, and throughout the village, entirely."

"What!?" Shikamaru yelled in evident protest of what he just heard.

"I'm effectively placing you two under Shikamaru's watch, until you can learn to get along like actual allies." Tsunade continued.

"But why do I have to do it!? It's my week off, remember!?" Shikamaru questioned, demanding a clear explanation. _"Damn it. This is going all wrong. How am I going to get around to revealing my feelings to her, when I have to watch over both like this? She's going to hate my guts, and I won't have any time to actually think of how to go about it. Why me." _

"No offense, Lady Fifth, but I believe I'm old enough and capable enough to handle myself." Temari stated, disagreeing with Tsunade's position on the matter.

"You will **NOT** argue! You're on important business here in the Leaf for the time being, and so long as you are, you are under Leaf Village law, which I decide. You and Ino both will abide by my judgment of the matter. Or..." Tsunade paused for the moment. "Or I can swiftly report this matter to the Kazekage and see what punishment he feels is best for you, Temari!"

_"Wow. Harsh."_ Ino thought to herself.

"Uh, so, under Shikamaru's watch is all, right?" Temari quickly stated, withdrawing her previous statement with a nervous giggle. _"I can't let Gaara find out about this. He'll never let me return to the Leaf, and I won't be able to get close to...him."_ Temari began to blush as she thought of part of the reason she wanted to come to the Leaf Village so badly.

"Learn to get along, or you'll both be in more trouble than you are now. You both represent your respective villages, and I expect you to do so in a respectful manner to one another." Tsunade spoke.

"I still don't get why it has to be me." Shikamaru continued to assert his disapproval.

"Shikamaru. I know it's your week off, but frankly, you're the only one who can handle such a matter." Tsunade came around to answering him.

Shikamaru had no words as she took in what she was saying.

"You know both of these kunoichi well enough to get to the bottom of their conflict with one another, and so you, unfortunately, have to play their mediator; at least, for as long as Temari is here on business. Afterward you can get back to your usual duties."

_"So my vacation time has turn into me being a bodyguard for and against them both. Great. Can this become more troublesome than it already is?"_ Shikamaru complained at heart.

"You all are dismissed." Tsunade finished.

_"Well, having Shikamaru watch us isn't so bad. Maybe it'll be my chance to... Yeah. I can definitely use this opportunity."_ Ino thought happily to herself as she blushed and she and the other two left Tsunade's office.

As they continued down the hall, Ino grabbed Shikamaru's arm, to his surprise. "What the-"

"Shikamaru, if anyone can assess this situation and come up with a solution for us both to get along, I know it's you." Ino stated proudly.

Just then, Temari grabbed his other arm as well, much to Ino's annoyance.

"We're both confident in you, Shikamaru. Not just your former teammate. But BOTH of us." Temari gave Ino a look as though she had just gained the upper hand on her.

Shikamaru stood there with a shocked look on his face, both arms being held by two kunoichi he admired, but particularly, by one he truly loved, and he couldn't help but blush, while the two began a whole new spat with him caught in the middle.

"What's that supposed to mean? We may not do all our missions together anymore, but he's still MY comrade, Sandy!"

"**Our** comrade. Seeing that the Leaf and Sand _are_ allies, he's no more yours than he is mine!"

"Oh you wish!"

"No, I know!"

_"What a drag this is gonna be...how in the hell am I supposed to make this work? Well, at least it doesn't seem like she hates me... for the time being anyway." _

From there, Shikamaru got to thinking, planning, and readying himself for the challenge up ahead.


	3. The Confession

The next day, waking up, for Shikamaru, seemed a bit more refreshing than days prior, but he couldn't exactly figure out why. Could it have been because deep down he was excited about spending time with the girl of his dreams, and having an excuse to do so? It didn't matter so much to him at the moment, he was just going to enjoy the feeling.

On his way to meeting where he, Temari, and Ino all agreed upon, so that they could properly schedule meeting up times and actually accomplish the task given to them by the Hokage, Shikamaru ran into Ino, to his great surprise.

"Ino! I thought we were meeting up where we all agreed." Shikamaru stated. "What are you doing here? Don't tell me you got lost on the way there?" He thenspoke in an obviously sarcastic tone.

"I thought about it, and I'm still not certain I'm ready to be anywhere with her." Ino explained, quite clearly still being stubborn about the matter. "She really just ... gets on my nerves!"

"Well, as you know, we only have a small window of opportunity for you two to get along before Temari has to leave for her own village." Shikamaru made clear.

"Can't say that I care." Ino told him quite boldly.

"Ya know, she's not that bad, Ino, once you actually get to know her. She can be...uncompromising at times, but so can you, and she can also be really sweet. You two might find that you have more alike than you think, if you give her chance." Shikamaru finished.

"Why are you defending her, Shikamaru?" Ino questioned him in a heated tone. "What, do you have feelings for her or something?"

"Defending!? Uh, feelings?" Shikamaru's face began to turn red at the accusations of Ino, which began to make her even more suspicious.

"See! You're blushing! You obviously like her, so why not come out and state it!?" She added.

Shikamaru gave a heavy sigh._ "Oh boy...what have I walked into? This is turning into a drag faster than I first thought it would." _

"Look, Ino. I'm only doing what I was asked to do; and that's play mediator until you two can get along. You don't have to give me such a hard time. This is going to be difficult enough as it is, without you thinking I'm taking sides. And who's face wouldn't turn red being accused out of the blue like that?" Shikamaru stated defending his position.

"Sorry, I just...I'm really letting her get to me, I suppose." Ino said feeling some small regret for accusing Shikamaru.

"Plus, Ino, you know what kind of trouble you'll be in, what kind of trouble _I'll_ be in if we don't even try?" Shikamaru continued to try to convince her, not wanting to see her in any trouble with Tsunade.

"Yeah yeah, I know. It's just that, well, I also sort of figured maybe it'd be better if we did this separately instead of altogether, ya know?"

"Huh?" Shikamaru wasn't all too certain what Ino meant.

"The thing is, your job is to get to the bottom of our conflict, like Lady Tsunade stated; but you can get to the bottom of it by spending time with us separately rather than force a situation that just won't work. Once you've figured out what's really causing us to clash, we can meet up at the end, smooth things over, and all be friends, eh?"Ino finished.

At that moment, a thought hit Shikamaru.

_"Is this it? Is this the chance I need to express my feelings? Spending time separately would be perfect for that."_ He pondered.

"Hellooooo? Anyone home in that big brain of yours?" Ino teased Shikamaru as he was slightly zoned out.

"Well, Ino, I actually think that idea just might work. But..."

"But...?"

"But who should go first of you two?"

"Well, you can choose."

"What, me? Why me?"

Ino giggled. "Well, you _are_ the one helping us, so who do_ you_ think needs the most urgent help?" she continued to tease him.

_"I think I'll need the most urgent help if things keep going this way. They'll kill me if I pick 'wrong', and I just might die choosing to be on a date with another girl before the one I actually want, so I'll have to play it another way."_ Shikamaru then determined.

"Ino, it was your idea, and I think you and Temari are more than qualified to decide for yourselves. So, I'll let it be your call, and whoever is picked between you two can meet up with me later at the place we all agreed upon, okay? So, see _'whoever'_ then."

Shikamaru stated this as he began to walk away calmly but rather swiftly.

_"Phew, close call."_ he sighed.

"I just hope the one who meets me is the girl of my dreams. It'll be a total drag if it's any other way." Shikamaru stated as he looked up toward the sky and the clouds passing over.

As he waited at the dumpling shop, Shikamaru wondered about his dream again, and if in someway, things would happen the way they did within it. He wasn't one to believe in psychic visions, but he couldn't ignore the feeling he was getting in his gut that things were playing out somewhat similarly, and he had hoped, just like in his dream, that maybe this "date" could end with a kiss, just like the one that helped open his eyes to his feelings for the blonde haired girl he dreamed about.

_"Where is she? I thought she'd be here by now."_ He thought to himself.

With his table at the dumpling shop being set near the wide opened entrance, he had a clear view of the clouds in the sky and chose to watch them as they drifted by. Soon enough, many clouds were covering the sunny and clear sky and everything below seemed to be covered in shadow. Shikamaru couldn't help but notice how it was similar to his dream when the restaurant was covered in shadows.

_"Does this mean...that she'll actually be the one to come here?"_ He wondered.

Just then, a figure walked up on his right at the entrance, and though he couldn't make out her face because of just how dim the lighting had gotten, he knew her walk, her stance, and even her figure, and knew this was his chance to spill his emotions that were beginning to feel bottled up.

_"It's her... she's here. So the dream was hinting toward this moment, and so that means..."_

As she took her seat across from Shikamaru at the table, he had gotten ready to just state his feelings instead of beating around the bush.

"So, Shikamaru, were you waiting long? If you were, I didn't mean for that. I needed to head back home before I came here, and my dad held me up asking about what boy I was going to meet. He almost had a fit when I said it was you. Can you believe that?" Ino laughed.

"Ino..." Shikamaru started. "There's something I need to talk to you about." He cut to the chase.

"You mean me and _Miss Sandy fan_ getting along right?" Ino joked.

But Shikamaru was too engulfed in his feelings to even recognize it as a joke, and instead, answered in a more serious tone.

"No, actually. It's about something that involves you."

Ino looked a bit surprised, but more as though she knew what he was going to say.

"Ino, I ... don't exactly know how to put this..." Shikamaru steadied his breathing as he prepared to confess everything.

"But for long as I've known you, I truly believed, no, convinced myself that the reasons I've always wanted to protect you was because we were teammates, comrades, and that's what they do for one another; I gave myself every logical reason as to why it couldn't be what I've recently come to accepting it as. That is, lately, I've started to recognize I've only been lying to myself. I know this might seem confusing, but the reason I'm telling you all of this is because of a drea-"

"Dream you had." Ino cut in.

"Huh? How'd you... Did Choji tell you?" Shikamaru became suspicious.

Suddenly a more solemn look covered the face of the previously cheerful girl that sat across from Shikamaru.

"No, he didn't tell me."

"Ino, what's wrong?" Shikamaru asked, as it concerned him her mood changed so drastically.

"It's nothing. I have to go. See you some other time."

"Ino, wait!"

But she had rushed off not even making eye contact before she went.

_"Great, what did I do? That was nowhere near what I wanted or even expected."_ Shikamaru lamented. _"Not to mention, we didn't even touch on why she and Temari are at odds with each other. Boy, have I messed everything up."_

_"I guess I'll have to start with Temari, and later find out what's going on with Ino. Maybe I should have waited before telling her how I felt. Such a drag everything's becoming." _Shikamaru continued to contemplate what could have went wrong with his meeting with Ino, as he went off in the village to find Temari. Maybe she might know something, he wondered, but even if she didn't, he figured that at least he could finally get this task assigned to him partly out of the way.


	4. The Realization

Now back at home, lying down in her bed hugging her pillow, in her room, after having scolded her dad for asking how things went, Ino thought about what had just happened when she was at the dumpling shop with Shikamaru. And all she could do was try her best to keep from crying.

She knew she should have given him an explanation as to why she needed to go, seeing that he was a long time friend, but she felt telling him wouldn't have helped matters, but to the contrary, could have made them worse, in her eyes.

She had been planning to confess her feelings for Shikamaru, for some time now, when she had gotten some time alone with him, and seeing that Temari was busy this day and couldn't meet with him, she believed it was the perfect opportunity for her to do so. She just wasn't expecting to hear him try to confess his feelings first, or more precisely, didn't _want_ for him to do so because of a dream she, too, had.

Within Ino's dream, she saw herself at a similar shop they met in. As he sat across from her, she heard Shikamaru confess his feelings, and how dreaming about her made him realize she was the girl for him. But before she could tell him how she felt, Temari entered in her dream, only to grab Shikamaru by the arm and kiss him right in front of Ino. The last thing she remembered before waking up were her own tears running down her face as her dream began to shatter before her.

Upon waking, she thought that maybe the nightmare was just that; a nightmare with no standing in her actual love life, or at the very least, that if she could confess her feelings before he did, she wouldn't have to bear seeing Shikamaru taken away from her.

But as Shikamaru began to confess to her at the dumpling shop, all she could see was the nightmare playing back in her mind, and she couldn't bear to stay, it all being too much for her to take. As much as she wanted to hear how he felt, she was afraid of being disappointed, of having her heart broken later on.

_"But still..."_ Ino thought.

_"I feel bad for not letting him finish what he had to say."_ She wiped her eyes thinking how she could have let him say the things which were in her dream, even if just to see his happiness when he did.

And just then, she had another thought.

"Wait, in my dream, he told me everything, but in the shop...it didn't go that way at all." She said beginning to feel more hopeful than before.

She sat up in her bed and began to make sense of it all.

"Maybe ... it doesn't have to be how I first saw it; maybe, just like that, I can change it and Shikamaru can still be my own! I just have to let him know how I feel before Temari gets to him!" She exclaimed.

"I have to go and find him... before it's too late." She said rushing out of her bedroom and soon her house, but not before her dad asked her, again, where she was headed, to which she promptly replied "to stop a close friend from making a huge mistake."

And with that, she took off.


	5. The Misunderstanding

As Shikamaru went on his search for Temari, he was totally unaware that Ino was on a search for him, as well. His last impression of her only served to leave him feeling partially guilty for trying to reveal his feelings when he did, but still left him curious as to how she knew he had a dream of her. The whole thing was confusing to him, and he only wanted to get it sorted out as soon as possible, along with the task he was assigned by the Hokage.

"Now where is _she_...?" Shikamaru said aloud as he looked through the crowds of villagers for Temari.

"By 'she', do you happen to mean _me_?" Temari asked Shikamaru from behind.

Shikamaru then turned to see a smirking Temari.

"Figures." Shikamaru said drearily. "Here I am looking for you all over, and you're standing right behind me. I guess you'd been looking for me instead." He finished, giving Temari a smirk right back.

"Don't flatter yourself. I just _happened_ across you. I figured you'd be somewhere with ponytail, actually, and I_ just_ finished getting some work done. I don't plan on staying here in the Leaf forever, you know." She said as they began a stroll together.

"By the way, is your little session finished with her already? Have you gotten to the bottom of why she has such a problem with me?" Temari inquired.

"Actually, I didn't, and that's part of the reason I came looking for you."

Temari then got a look of great interest on her face.

"Ino and I didn't really talk much, and it's partially my fault. Instead of just getting to important matters, I..." He paused.

"You...?" Temari further inquired.

"It doesn't matter now. I just wanted to ask; did Ino seem upset or bothered when you two talked today? About anything at all, besides her spats with you?"He asked Temari as they came across a park within the Village.

"Not at all. She seemed too damn happy, if you ask me."

"Happy?" Shikamaru asked not expecting to hear such a thing.

"Yeah, when I told her I was too busy to meet up with you then, and that she'd have to go first session with you, she seemed real giddy about it." Temari said giving somewhat of a pout. "Probably because I wouldn't be there, and she thinks you belong to her or something." Temari finished, just slightly regretting her last statement, hoping she wouldn't reveal too soon her jealousy for Shikamaru's affections.

However, Shikamaru hadn't paid so much attention to all Temari had said, still thinking about how Ino was happy, giddy even, before they had met up in the dumpling shop.

_"Then...what changed?"_ He thought as he flashed back to Ino's solemn and saddened face._ "Why'd she...become so down as soon as I brought up my dream? Is it that she somehow knew, and just doesn't feel the same way I feel? But the dream I had... it was her who kissed me... right? Damn, this is such a drag."_

"Shikamaru, can we... stop here for a second?" Temari stated as Shikamaru once again placed his attention on her.

"Hmm? Sure, I guess. What for?"

As they halted underneath the shade of a large tree, Temari looked at the ground between the two, while Shikamaru wondered what they were doing there.

"Shikamaru, can I ask...how you feel about me?" Temari came forth abruptly asking.

Shikamaru's face changed from disinterested to somewhat puzzled.

"How I feel...?"He repeated. _"Why is she asking this? What the hell is going on with these women today? No wonder I've viewed women as troublesome." _Shikamaru thought.

"Well..." he started, just to soon be done with it. "As I was telling Ino, you can be really uncompromising..."

Hearing these words began to tear at Temari's heart.

"I see..." she said in a somber tone.

"But... you can be really sweet, too."

And as soon as Shikamaru spoke those words following, Temari looked up and felt that maybe her feelings for him weren't as hopeless as they might have seemed.

"So you... you really think that?" Temari spoke quietly as she again focused her eyes toward the ground and began to blush.

"I guess I wouldn't have said it if I didn't." Shikamaru spoke, showing by his tone that he was becoming impatient with the topic. "Is there some reason you care to know? This isn't really like you, Temari." He stated trying to get to the bottom of what was going on. _"Sheesh, we still haven't even gotten to clearing up what irks her about Ino. The Fifth is going to have my head, if things keep going this way." _Shikamaru lamented on the inside.

Meanwhile, Ino was still on the search for Shikamaru, first starting back at the dumpling shop. Though not really expecting him to have stayed there, she thought it'd be best to check and be certain. Then, she had a thought that he'd probably be where Temari was, if her dream was any hint.

_"I hope I don't make it too late."_ Ino thought, as she swiftly went forward. _"I can't let her have him. She may have things in common with him that I don't, but Shikamaru and I have known each other since early childhood."_ She began flashing back to older memories of the two.

"He's always been there, and as much as I bossed him around, he's always put up with what I have to say." Ino said as she began tearing up, thinking of the possibility of Shikamaru falling for Temari instead. "Why was I so stupid? I shouldn't have left like that." She said regretting her past action and feeling even more lost inside than before.

Ino paused in her search, wondering if she'd make it in time, or if she was doing it all for nothing, just for disappointment and heartbreak.

"I can't bear losing him, and if I give up now, that's a guarantee." She stated trying to gain some encouragement, wiping the tears falling from her eyes.

"Shikamaru can be a pain when he complains all the time, and he may lack in motivation, but I..." Ino began to feel some determination and started to move forward again. "I want to be his motivation!" And she kept on.

She met with some Leaf Village Shinobi at the Hokage's mansion, the last place she knew Temari would be as she took care of her business in the Leaf Village, and all the Shinobi could disclose to Ino was the last thing Temari told them as she headed off, which was her just going, _"to find that shirk, and see what he's up to."_

Ino knew then, she had to find them or it would be the end of what she and Shikamaru have together.

So she thought of every place, _any_ place Temari and Shikamaru might be just to talk.

_"Come on, Ino."_ She thought to herself. _"A quitter you're not, but you're a Kunoichi of the Leaf. You can find them."_ She continued motivating herself.

The day dragged on, but for Temari, time seemed to be standing still as she stood before Shikamaru.

"Well...?" Shikamaru asked her, wondering why she wouldn't speak.

"Shikamaru, I... I know I come across as rough sometimes and not very girly, but around you, I never felt like lesser than a woman." She started.

Shikamaru stared with his hands in his pockets as he anticipated what Temari was getting ready to tell him.

"You haven't judged me by my appearance, and have even given recognition to my intelligence. All this time I've spent around you, playing shogi, getting to know who you are has made me feel a lot of different things about you, and so well..." Temari and Shikamaru's heart alike began to speed up.

"What I'm saying is, that I love you, Shikamaru." She finished as she looked him in the eye hoping to get some sort of response.

"Temari, I..." Shikamaru looked at Temari, somewhat stunned by her confession, made evident by the look upon his face.

As Shikamaru lowered his eyes toward the ground, and his look began to grow more pained, Temari began to panic, wondering if just maybe, it wasn't simply rejection out of unrequited love he was about to speak to her, but maybe he had another, another girl he loved, just by the look in his eyes.

"Temari..." Shikamaru spoke again, with the same pained expression on his face.

As he looked up toward Temari, there was the sensation of lips swiftly pressing up against his own as Temari's hands rested upon his chest.

_"W-what...?"_ Shikamaru thought with a look of shock in his eyes.

And just as Shikamaru grabbed Temari, to push her back from himself, he could see, out of the corner of his eye, the figure of the girl he fell in love with; Ino had just seen what happened between the two of them.

_"Damn it all."_ Shikamaru thought. _"What's Ino doing here, and now at a time like this?"_ He wondered.

And just as the dream Ino once had portrayed, tears streamed down her face for what she just couldn't keep from happening, which in Shikamaru's eyes made him all the more confused to what what was going on.

_"I ... I was too late. How, why..."_ Ino thought to herself. _"It isn't fair. We've known each other for so long, and now... she just comes to take him away."_ Rather than bear see them any longer, Ino dashed away, having a gut wrenching feeling she couldn't bear.

"Ino wait!" Shikamaru yelled.

Temari, feeling slightly embarrassed by what she had done, kept her eyes fixed downward, somewhat fearful that Shikamaru would be greatly angered by her action. But instead, she just heard a heavy sigh and looked up to see the somewhat worn face of Shikamaru.

"Damn it, what a drag this whole week off has been. One moment I'm taking a break, and the next I'm in a situation like this." He said wiping his hand down his face in exasperation.

"Shikamaru... I..."

"Don't." He stopped Temari from speaking.

"I couldn't say it before because I couldn't put it into words, but after seeing what I just saw, I can't afford to hold back my words anymore."

Temari wondered what he meant.

"Look, I understand how you feel, I really do, but the thing is, I feel that way for another. You can guess who that is."

"I know." Temari stated.

"I kissed you because that's what I was afraid of." She disclosed as Shikamaru looked on toward her.

"I thought just maybe that kiss would change your mind, maybe what you said about me being 'sweet' would mean something more if I gave something extra, that maybe it would make you realize how much I like you, how much better I am for you, how much of a little girl Ino is compared to me and what I could give you, but I guess I was wrong." Temari said with a saddened look in her eyes.

"You **_are_** wrong." Shikamaru said to Temari's sincere shock.

Shikamaru held a serious and determined look in his eyes, that he didn't often hold."Ino's **_not_** a little girl and there really isn't any other who's better for me, when I put in effort to think on it. She's not the strategist you are, I admit, and sometimes she worries too much about what other girls, other people think or what they're doing, but because of what she lacks, because of all her worries, the same worries I couldn't ever have, she's my motivation. She brings to the table the things I'm missing, and I couldn't ever let that go. And likewise, she needs me to bring to the table things she's missing, which I seek to do whenever I can." He went on.

"I think you're a great girl, Temari, and I'm sure you'll make a great partner to someone someday, but it just can't be me. I know you might have misunderstood me when I said you were sweet before, but I hope this time around, you can understand. Now,"He said as he looked toward the direction Ino ran off in."I have to go get my motivation, before I lose her forever." And with that, he headed off to find Ino and to tell her everything he was feeling.

Temari looked on, beginning to tear up, feeling a whole slew of emotions take her over. Anger, regret, jealousy, heartbreak, all were mixing inside her and started to flow in the form of tears she couldn't keep back.

She fell to her knees, holding herself, subconsciously trying to control her emotions as they poured out onto the ground before her, and as the man she loved went after the woman he loved.


	6. The Search

Ino sat in the grass of an isolated area of the Village, where there was a pond to stare at her reflection, a pond to catch the tears falling from her eyes.

Just like Temari who Shikamaru had recently left behind, she couldn't stop her tears from flowing.

Just seeing things play out in real life as it did in her dream affected her deeply, and she felt as though her emotions were getting the best of her. To calm herself down, or rather to make the pain sting a bit less, she tried to convince herself differently on the matter.

_"Why do I even like such a self important shirk, anyhow? He's always complaining, and never seems to be satisfied with anything. He calls me bossy, and now he's kissed a girl I can't even stand to pretend to get along with."_

But even telling herself these things didn't help, knowing full well inside, she couldn't shrug off Shikamaru as though he were of no importance. She remembered when they were younger, and how well their team flowed with each other. She remembered how much she adored Shikamaru's attitude of not worrying about whether girl's were into him or not. Though she had silly crushes on guys like Sasuke and Sai, what they didn't have that she and Shikamaru possessed, was chemistry, a connection to each other; so much so, that even when they weren't together, they could still somehow feel the other was thinking of them, in some way, whether as a comrade... or a love not yet fully realized.

"I love him, but... but..." Her face became filled with pain. _"But he's gone to her now. I guess it's all the time they've spent together."_ She thought. _"Maybe it's because she's really smart and plays Shogi with him."_ Just these small things began to feel like little cuts to Ino's heart, feeling as though, if she could have been this way with Shikamaru, then maybe she could have changed the way things were right now.

Meanwhile, Shikamaru was off searching for Ino, completely putting everything beforehand out of mind, and only focusing on what he saw just before Ino ran off. _"She was crying..."_ He flashed back to the time. _"Because of me. Because I... Because Temari kissed... Damn it!"_ He yelled in frustration.

As time passed by, searching for Ino quickly proved to be more difficult than what Shikamaru planned. _"Why the hell is it so hard to find Blonde girls in this Village?"_ He wondered to himself.

_"I checked everywhere. She wasn't even back at home."_ Shikamaru began thinking back as he stood still with his hands in his pockets. _"I'm happy I made it out of there alive. I knew her dad would have killed me if I told him his daughter was off crying somewhere because of me. "_ But Shikamaru only revealed he was looking for her so that she and Temari could discuss some things, though Inoichi seemed a bit skeptical.

_"Ino..."_ Shikamaru thought looking up toward the sky as it began to get darker, and the stars began shining. _"I have so much to tell you, stuff I should have said before, but was too stubborn, too apathetic, too in denial. I just need to let you know...how much..."_ Shikamaru resumed searching for Ino, remembering his words to Temari, and knowing them to be true. Ino did motivate Shikamaru and he wouldn't quit until he found her and let her know exactly how he felt, even if she didn't want to hear it or rejected him altogether. He wanted to always be there for her, as a lover, a friend, or even just as some guy she hated. He didn't care enough about being hated to be bothered by the last possibility, but cared so much about Ino that he would work his hardest to become the first two.

As Ino sat, feeling somewhat calmer than before, she wondered how she'd face Shikamaru now. She didn't believe it'd be easy to go on missions with him ever again, being that her heart was now in pieces by what she saw. She contemplated all the scenarios that would play out, and still couldn't shake the feeling of longing she had for him.

_"Let it go, Ino."_ She thought to herself. _"He's someone else's now."_ She looked up toward the evening sky where the stars were now showing.

"Ino..." She heard a voice behind her as she sat in the grass. She looked down toward the ground, feeling a sort of sadness come over her again.

"What do you want? Why are you even here? Maybe to rub it all in my face." Ino said spitefully.

"Rub what in your face? The fact that he picked you over me?" Temari replied.

"What?" Ino had a look of disbelief on her face.

"Well, you ran off before he said anything, so I guess you _wouldn't_ know." Temari then made her way to sitting next to Ino, ready to share some of her own hurt from the situation.

"So you know, Shikamaru didn't kiss _me_. _I_ kissed him, and I did so because I was afraid of the truth; afraid he'd like you more than me, pick you over me. And he did so anyway."

Ino sat in quiet as Temari said what she had need to say.

"Shikamaru really let me know how he felt about you, things I believe he probably wanted to say to you more than to me. It hurts, and I've been crying, something I don't always do, but I guess I have to let him go and realize he's someone else's." Temari's words rung in Ino's ears.

Not really wanting to get too emotional and just wanting to be alone, Temari gave her final say.

"Don't let that shirk have any excuse, okay?"

"Huh? What do you-"

"Keep him busy, no matter how much he complains." Temari gave a faint smile to Ino.

"You should go. I just want to be alone to watch the stars."

"But I was-" Ino started.

"Ino." Temari gave her a serious look.

"He's searching for you. Go. It's this blonde's turn to sit here and get her feelings together."

Ino didn't argue after that, and went on her way.

Temari sat looking up at the stars and the night clouds in the sky, thinking of the man who she played Shogi with so often, and hoping her time in the Leaf would soon be done with. _"I tried. And as sad as I am that it couldn't work out the way I wanted, I'm happy I did try. He was worth the effort."_ She then felt some sense of happiness in all her pain.

Ino went off with a thought to look for Shikamaru, but quickly caught herself, not wanting to confuse the situation looking in places he could have already been in search for her.

_"Okay, think, Ino. I may not be able to think as far ahead as Shikamaru, but being around him long enough hasn't been completely unhelpful."_ She thought of places that Shikamaru had probably already checked since she ran away.

_"Yeah, that's it. I'll go there."_ Arriving at the place she had in mind, she didn't see Shikamaru but expected him soon. "He'll be here, I know it." Ino stated aloud to herself. After a few moments passing, she saw Shikamaru walking up with hands in his pockets, clearly beating himself up over all that went down.

He gave a heavy sigh, not seeing Ino stand off in the distance, while thinking up a new plan in finding her. Instead of making it clear she was there, Ino simply ran up toward Shikamaru, wrapping her arms around his waist tightly, once she reached him.

Shikamaru was almost thrown off balance physically, and mentally, he needed to gather what was happening. After a few seconds of Ino squeezing him tightly, he spoke.

"Ino, w-what are you doing here? What are you _doing_?" He wondered not able to make sense of all that was going on since she ran off.

"What we should have done some time ago..." Ino answered, as she looked up toward him with loving eyes, still damp with tears. She moved in closer for a kiss and Shikamaru started to remember how this all went down in his dream. Once her lips reached his, as he stood in shock, he realized that this kiss wasn't just a dream; it was real. And most of all, it was better. He began to embrace Ino. He didn't care anymore about what led up to it, so long as she was his and they both understood the feelings they had for each other.

"Shikamaru," Ino said backing up, after the kiss. "I thought so wrong, I messed up everything, I was confused by what I saw and, and,"

"Ino, it's okay. Calm down. I think we all got a little confused, because feelings weren't made clear." Shikamaru explained looking at her as she panicked.

"But Ino..." Shikamaru took a more serious tone. "I didn't say before, but it needs to be stated now before anything else happens."

Ino had an attentive look upon her face.

"Ino..." He sighed. "I may seem completely apathetic toward the entire world, and all it has to offer. I may show no motivation in even the very thing I call my work, but you, Ino, you're my motivation for it all. From since we were small, I thought you were bossy, too concerned with stuff that doesn't really matter, and too involved with what everyone else thinks. But," He paused as he looked her in the eye. "But I wouldn't have you any other way. Because you balance me out, I'm fine whenever you think you need to go on some ridiculous diet or wear your hair a certain way that I think wouldn't make a difference. Because you give me the motivation to be there for you and to give you all the things you need, Ino..." His heart beat sped up. "Ino, I love you." He finished.

"Shikamaru, I've wanted to hear those words for so long now..." Ino began to tear up, and she lunged in for another hug.

_"This day was definitely a drag, but I guess it all turned out."_ Shikamaru thought to himself.

"I love you, too, you shirk." Ino said smiling as she wiped the tears from her eyes.

"I should really explain what happened at the dumpling shop..." Ino continued on.

"How about we just call it a night for now, and sort it out in the morning? I still have one day off tomorrow, and will have plenty of free time."

"Yeah, I think that'll be best." She smiled.

"But I do wonder..." Shikamaru said.

"Wonder...?"

"Yeah, how'd you know I'd be here? I'd been looking for you everywhere."

"Because, you've been coming here to think or to laze around since we were small children. I figured you still had that habit." Ino smiled grabbing Shikamaru's hand. He smiled taking delight in the fact that the woman he loved knew him so well.

Shikamaru walked Ino home, and they both looked forward to what would become of their new relationship. But Shikamaru still had a few things on his mind that night in his bed, as he lay down to rest.

What would happen between him and Temari? What would happen between him and Tsunade after not completing one bit of what she assigned him to do? What would happen once Ino's dad realized they were dating?

_"Damn, why do blondes give me so much trouble?"_ Shikamaru thought with his head resting on his hands. _"I guess it'll be sorted out in the morning. What a drag. But..." _His thoughts began to grow faint as he drifted off. _"But, as long as I have Ino, I have my motivation for it all." _And he was fast asleep.


	7. The Loving Conclusion

The next day, Ino and Shikamaru were walking hand in hand. "Do we _have_ to do this?" Shikamaru blushed, trying to avoid the eye contact of anyone walking past the two, while rubbing the back of his head in embarrassment.

"Oh hush. You're enjoying it!" Ino said, as she smiled.

Without denying her claim, Shikamaru changed the topic to what they were before speaking about.

"I can't believe you had a dream just like I did; well, with the exception that yours ended on a pretty upsetting note."

"Yeah, it can be weird how life works out, but I'm really happy that in the end, it _did_ work out." Ino smiled lovingly at Shikamaru as she drew nearer while they walked.

"Did you tell your dad about us this morning?"

"We can tell him later. I didn't want a third degree before leaving the house today."

"What do you mean 'we'? Ino, I'd prefer to not have to look your dad in the eye as I tell him I'm dating his daughter. It'd be..."

"What?"

"Just awkward. But, you'll make me do it anyway. Such a drag."

Shikamaru felt somewhat defeated, but as usual, couldn't bring himself to caring enough to do something that'd change his situation.

"You _do_ know me well, Shikamaru." Ino, on the other hand, enjoyed every minute she and Shikamru had together and didn't at all mind him being there when she broke the news to her dad.

"Now what was it you were going to tell the Fifth again?" Ino inquired about Shikamaru's assingment.

"What? I have to tell _her_ about the assignment, too?" Shikamaru ask in a dissatisfied tone before giving a heavy sigh.

"Well, it was _your_ assignment."

"But you two were being impossible." Shikamaru spoke of both Temari and Ino.

"Oh well. You'll still have to tell her something."

"Yeah. I know." Shikamaru pondered on how Tsunade would flip out on him for not having made any progress with what he was assigned to do.

Once they reached her office, Shikamaru knocked on the door, before entering.

"Come in."

As he walked in, he brushed past Temari, who was just walking out.

He looked her in the face, but she kept her view firm toward the outside of the office.

"Ah, Shikamaru. I was just going to summon you here."

"Huh? What for? What'd I do this time?" Shikamaru spoke in a negative tone.

"I just wanted to say well done on getting the girls to get along."

Shikamaru then became confused.

"But I didn-"

"Temari told me everything. How you gave them both a talk, before letting them talk it out themselves, and now things are smoothed over. I knew you could be counted on for this job. And all before Temari makes her leave from the village today. She seemed to be in quite a rush, though. And she asked me to hand this to you."

Tsunade gave Shikamaru a folded note, which he read it to himself.

_"Shikamaru, things may be a bit weird for us for awhile after everything that went down, and I might not be able to make eye contact with you for some time, but I'm your Shogi partner whenever you need one. -Temari"_

"I guess things really _did_ all work out." He thought.

Later, at the dumpling shop, Shikamaru explained the note to Ino.

"Really, she wrote that? I guess things _would_ be awkward between you two." Ino began feeling sympathetic toward Temari.

"Yeah, but I'm just glad it's all fine now, and everything's out in the open." Shikamaru was feeling joyously relieved of the matter.

"I'm happy about that, too."

Shikamaru then placed his hand upon Ino's as he sat across from her at their table.

_"Shikamaru..."_ Ino's heart beat sped up wondering what he was about to say.

"I couldn't have guessed that I'd ever have a chance to get used to holding your hand, and yet here we are." Shikamaru looked deep into Ino's eyes.

"And there's something more I want to say..."

"What is it, Shikamaru?"

What he wanted to share with Ino was about another dream he had the night before, but instantly, he questioned if he should speak on it seeing that things worked out fine before he could officially share his other dream. He wanted to tell her how he saw the two walking hand in hand down a Leaf Village road, with her smiling and Shikamaru showing his usual disinterest.

He wanted to share how he saw a small dark haired child running around the two, playing as they walked along. As Shikamaru let go of Ino's hand to pick this little girl up, who also called him daddy, Ino placed her hand on her baby bulge with a surprised look on her face. _"The baby's kicking."_ She told the two, to which the little girl urged Shikamaru to let her feel her mother's tummy.

"It's that... I love you, Ino. And that'll always be so." Shikamaru chose to keep quiet about the dream.

Ino smiled. "You sure know how to speak to a girl's heart. I love you too... _Shirk_-amaru." Ino then giggled.

"You sure know how to tease a guy." Shikamaru stated smirking her way.

"So you two really _are_ together!?" Choji said as he spotted them at their table.

"I thought it was just rumors. I really thought you'd get with Temari!" He yelled their way.

"Direct more attention towards us, why don't you." Shikamaru began feeling slightly annoyed.

"Hey guys, they're both here and are _definitely_ dating now!"

"Huh? What!?" Shikamaru then exclaimed at the sudden attention.

As Chouji pointed over in their direction, Naruto, Neji, Kiba, Sakura, Hinata, and many more of their close friends stormed into the shop.

"Wow, Ino-pig. How'd you get an intelligent guy like Shikamaru to date you!?" Sakura said to Ino's annoyance.

"Wow! Who woulda suspected huh!? An average looking guy with all brains, with an average medical nin with all looks!?" Naruto added, which annoyed them both.

"I don't understand why I was invited here, or what any of this has to do with me." Neji said with folded arms.

"C-congratulations, Ino-chan, Shikamaru-kun. I-I sort of always figured you'd be a couple." Hinata said as she twiddled her fingers and blushed in amusement.

"Uh, thanks, Hinata." Shikamaru said. "Yeah, thanks." Ino followed after.

"Now, Shikamaru. Naruto told us that to celebrate, you were going cover the bill for us all! Gotta say thanks for that." Kiba stated happily. "But I sure hope they have something for Akamaru here!"

"Naruto said what!?" Shikamaru was almost beside himself.

"Well, we _should_ celebrate. This _is_ a special occasion; two life long friends coming together as a couple. But, uh, well, I don't have any money on me, so I figured you'd pay." Naruto gave a nervous chuckle.

"All **_riiiiiight_**, Shikamaru!" Chouji became ecstatic.

Shikamaru chose to just go along with it instead of arguing. "This is gonna be such a drag."

And as Ino touched his hand, she reassured him.

"It'll be okay. I'll split it with you." She smiled.

_"Yeah. Everything'll be okay, so long as I have you my motivation, and our future together."_ Shikamaru thought this as he again looked into Ino's eyes, with other loving thoughts in mind.


End file.
